Blue Beetle rocked the web when its first trailer dropped last month. Fans have now been given their first look at Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez.
Harvey Guillén captured the hearts of fans with his role as Guillermo de la Cruz in What We Do In The Shadows, though may also be recognized by his vocal talents as Perrito in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Nightwing in the Harley Quinn show. Now, he’s set to take the world of DC by storm as the glasses-wearing guy-in-the-chair in Blue Beetle, Dr. Sanchez. Despite his character falling into a common trope, Guillén promises that there’s complexities fans haven’t yet seen:
“The character was complex,” Guillén told Entertainment Weekly. “You’re loyal to the profession and the job that you have, and you’re loyal to being a good person, and you have to make a choice. Sometimes we don’t make the choices. We’re human. And when given a choice, we might make the wrong one.”
Harvey Guillén also explained why he chose to sign on to Blue Beetle in particular. According to the actor, reading through the script for his role as Dr. Sanchez made him unexpectedly feel seen:
“When I read the script, it was the first time that I felt that I could get through a whole movie and feel seen,” Guillén explained. “The verbiage that’s being used in the household, it is very driven by family and heart at the forefront of everything, which is very Latino culture.”
Despite the focus on Latino culture, Harvey Guillén assures fans that nothing is being lost in favor of authenticity. In fact, it’s that genuine love for the culture mixed with a traditional story that makes it incredible:
“I just read that script and I was like, ‘Wait, I grew up watching or listening to this.’ ‘That’s exactly what my mom would say [or] my tía,'” he continued. “Everything has been thought out, while still telling the traditional story of this incredible DC superhero that is coming to theaters for the first time, the first Mexican superhero that we’ve had in a DC film.”
While fans may not know who Dr. Sanchez is, the fact that Harvey Guillén has such passion for the role and for the movie serves as a good sign of things to come when Blue Beetle hits theaters this fall. Even if some fans aren’t a fan of the thrilling action shown off by the trailer, Guillén in combination with George Lopez as Jaime’s uncle is sure to mean the film will be filled with gut-busting laughs.
The photos released by Entertainment Weekly can be seen below:
Who is DC’s Blue Beetle?
Blue Beetle is one of DC’s lesser-known heroes, but he has a dedicated fanbase nonetheless. Created in 1939 by Charles Wojtkowski, Blue Beetle has gone through several iterations over the years. The Jaime Reyes version of the character was introduced during the events of 2006’s Infinite Crisis and quickly became a fan-favorite.
In the pages of DC Comics, Jaime Reyes is a teenager from El Paso, Texas. Jaime discovers a scarab beetle-shaped device that bonds with his body, giving him access to an advanced suit of armor and various powers. He becomes the latest in a long line of Blue Beetles and must learn to balance his newfound abilities with his everyday life.
Angel Manuel Soto is directing Blue Beetle from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. The full cast of the movie also includes Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Trujillo, Susan Sarandon and Harvey Guillén. Xolo Maridueña will star as the titular Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle is currently scheduled to hit theaters on August 18, 2023. Stay tuned for the latest news surrounding the film.
